Historical Ecology Study
The San Francisco Estuary Institute-Aquatic Science Center, in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Game, has completed a historical ecology study of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The project improves understanding of what the Delta looked like and how it functioned prior to the significant modification that has occurred over the last 160 years.
This historical reconstruction documents patterns of variation and extent of habitat types throughout the Delta for improved understanding of species support functions and controlling physical processes within the native landscape. Knowing how different parts of the vast historical Delta looked and functioned provides needed information for future restoration strategies.
Given the extensive changes to the Delta, the goal of the project is not to create a literal template from which to recreate the historical Delta. Rather the objective is to understand how large-scale restoration can support an ecosystem in the future Delta that reflects functions to which native species are adapted. This involves recognizing physical gradients along which ecosystems can adapt as the Delta continues to change.
The project was completed in August 2012.
Research continues in the Delta Landscapes project
Order a Printed Copy
Printed copies of the report, with dozens of rarely seen historical accounts, maps and photographs describing the Delta of the recent past, will also be available for $75 + shipping charges
contact: email@example.com or 510-746-7355.
Imagery developed for this project is also available through the California Department of Fish and Game:
Early circa 1900 USGS topographic quadrangles
1937 Aerial Photography
To gain access to the imagery in ArcGIS, use these LYR files
Related Projects, News, and Events:
The Delta Landscapes Project seeks to develop a set of tools for facilitating landscape-scale restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem. The project will use the historical perspective of the Delta as a basis to identify landscape scale patterns and characteristics that provided ecological functions (based on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Historical Ecology Investigation).